Fuel tank



,Jam e, 1942. R@ c. COLEMAN Y .2,268,697

FUEL TANK Y VFiled March 6, 1939 /3 INVENTOR ATTOR'NEY Patented Jan. 6, 1942' UNITEDy STATE s. yPATEN Rolla C. Coleman, Kansas City, Mo., assigner to American Safety Tank Co., Kansas City, Mo.,

a corporation of Missouri i Application March 6, 1939, Serial No. 259,998

` 1 Claim. "(Cl. 22o- 86) This invention relates to'- fuel tanks for motor vehicles, particularly those containing combustible and expansible fluids.

It is well known that filling station attendants are over zealous in lling the fuel tank ofv a motor vehicle as it is to their advantage to make as large a ,sale as possible,v therefore, unless-the owner is observant in filling of the tank, the tank is filled to the point where it is ready to flow from Ythe filling spout. This practice is extremely hazardous for the reason that the fuel expands and spurts throughvthe vent opening-of the tank. This fuel is not only wasted but is apt to be ignited by the motor exhaust, or when the vehicle is parked through accidental ignition of the puddle of fuel collecting under the vehicle.

Also in case of accidents resulting in upset of the vehicle, the excess fuel is discharged from the lling spout and is apt to cause an additional hazard even thoughl the tank is provided with a safety filling spout of the type disclosed in the Albert E. Haas andy George H. Clay Patent No. 2,090,197, dated August 17, 1937.

It is, therefore, .a principal purpose ofthe present invention to provide a fuel tank for a motor vehicle or-the like that is equipped with safety means which automatically maintains an expansion space above the fuel even though the tank has been initially point.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a tankequipped with a safety iillingI duct as disclosed vin the .above mentioned patent, to.- gether'with safety means acting in conjunction filled to the overflow therewith for maintaining suillcient expansionv space to prevent discharge of the fuel even though the tank is initially filled to its maximum. In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

. Fig. 1 is a vertical lsection through a fuel tank embodying the features of the present invention* and showing the tankv lled to the point where the fuel backiiows from the filling duct.

Fig. 2 isa similar section'showing the subsequent fuel levelas effected by my invention and which gives sufficient expansion space to take careiof expansion and contraction of the fluid,

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on vthe 2, a -part of the filling duct supporting bracket, being brokenv away.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the fuel' .displacing member.

Referring more' in detail to the drawing:

l designates a fuel tankfor motor vehicles,

boats, trucks, tractors, busses, motor trains or like conveyances; which is usually supported with its axis extending vhorizontally and transversely of the vehicle. The tank'v may be` of any shape but is here illustrated as including a cylindrical wall 2, having outwardly crowned heads' 3 and, l welded or otherwise attached to the ends of the wall 2 to :form a liquid-tight compartment 6 for the fuel. y

The tank l has a filling duct 8 including a-leg portion 1 extending laterally through the upper portion of the wall 2 adjacent one end thereof to form a fill opening 8 and a leg portion 9 extending substantially horizontally and in a diagonal direction to the opposite end of the tank to form an outlet opening l0 through which a fuel admitted through -the inlet 8 flows into partment-li. Y l

The ductthus described is rigidly "supported in the tank byv welding or otherwise sealing the -leg portion 1 within the opening livof the wall 2 and the free, end of th leg portion 9 extends` through an'opening I2 in a bracket plate `|3 welded to the wall 2 ata pointadiacentthe head 3. The duct is so mounted in the tank that when the tank is in horizontal positionl the leg portion 9 of the ductslopes slightly toward the outlet end thereof to assure complete drainage of the' duct and assist in rapid movement of the fueltherethrough when the tank is being filled. The

, and to effect 'substantial drainage of the filling duct .into the...tank.

line 3-3'of'Fig.

end' of the leg portion 1 that projects from the tank is provided with a .screw thread or other attaching means I5 bywhich a closure cap is secured thereto. A f

Cooperating with i I6 having one end connected with the leg'porticn 1 at a point adjacent the wall 2 sind which slopes downwardly and diagonally to extend through an opening I'I in the bracket I3 and terminate adjacent the outlet I0 of the filling duct, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

Attention is directed to the fact that the. out-l let ends of the filling duct in the vent pipe are located a suiilcient ldistance below the top of the` tank to form an expansion space Il thereabo've and to provide a'nonilllable void in the tank to cause the inner ends of both the lling pipev and ventfpipe to extend above theflevel of Hquld in the tank in case the tank is inverted asin up` set of the vehicle inv which a is mounted.

' 65 The tankalso has a fuel outlet pipe Il includthe comthe filling lduct is a vent pipe ing aleg portion extending through the upper portion of the head 4 and which extends substantially parallel with, the axis of the tank to a point adjacent the bracket I3 where it is secured theretoand terminates in a downwardly. extending leg 2| having an inlet opening 22 near the bottom of the tank. l i

The tank thus far described substantially corresponds to the tank covered in the above mentioned patent and adequately provides-the safety factors for which it -is designed as long as the tank has been properly filled, that is, so that the filling duct does not contain 'a hydrostatic level of fluid after the tank is filled and when the outside temperature isA such as not tocause pansion of thevapor in the tank.

The diametrically opposite lower portion of the member 23 is provided with a relatively small flow aperture 29 which is of such size relatively to the inflow of liquid thatthe rate of flow of liquid into the safety compartment is far-slower than the liquid can be admitted through the filling duct. Therefore, when the tank isrcompletelyfilled anda hydrostatic head of liquid is standing in the fill pipe, the safety 'chamber is only partially filled as shown in Fig. 1. The liquid, however, will continue to rise in the safety compartment until the level therein -reaches the safe level of'liquid to be carried in @the tank. as shown in Fig. 2. The-displacement 4With the head of fluid remaining in the llingduct, expansion of the fluid or the air in the. vent space above the fluid causes thek liquid to spout through the vent opening in the fill cap to cause the hazards as above pointed out. This head of liquid also permits filling of the tank the bottom aperture.

the tank is drained by to a point above that controlled by the position. of the vent pipe I6 and this excess liquid seals the fill pipe and prevents escape of accumulated' pressure in the tank due to expansion of the liquid and vapor through increase in temperature.

quired expansion yspace is provided the i'ip'r'ier.l

portion of the tank.

The member 23 is shown as formed of a sheet metal disk of cir'cular f orm and having a concavo-convex wall portion 24provided with a peripheral/ flange 25 extending laterally from the concave side. The member thus described is mounted on the inner 'surface of the tank, preferably on the inner surface of the head l in such a position that the upper portion thereof extends above the maximum level of liquid that can be put in the tank'as shown in Fig. 1, the

- edge of the flange being welded to thel head1` as shown at 26. The member 23 thus cooperates with the crown in the head I to provide a liquidv compartment 21.

The compartment2l is of adequate'capacity`v to accommodate the liquid which .is displaced by the member 23 when the ultimate liquid [level is attained in the tank.\ 'I'he flange 25 is provided at the uppermost point thereof with a vent opening 2B that communicates directly with the ex-` fuel can flow from the tank proper into the safety compartment with theI result that the' nning duet is substantially empty and "there-40 member, therefore, does not limit the capacity o'f'the tank as theinterior compartment formed thereby ultimately receives the displaced liquid f and this liquid is drained into the tank through It is thus-obvlous that the safety compartment is gradually drained as draw-off of fuel through the pipe i9.

In fillinga tank constructed and assembled as described,`the cap for 'the' filling duct-is removed and the fill nozzle is placed therein so that the fuel flows through the fuel duct as in regular practice. However, when the level of liquid in the tank reaches the inlet end of the vent pipe. the inflow is retarded by reason of the pressure of the air trapped within the expansion'space. The filling pipe, however, may

bfe' filled to the overflow point. The station ati tendant then assumes that the ltank is filled and 4replaces the cap. The rate of flow of fuel into the tank, however, has been faster than the safety compartment is sufiiciently empty to accommodate `the excess liquid thereby avoiding the hazards ordinarily caused through overfilling -j' of the fuel tank.

What I claim and desire to secure` by Letters Patent is:

In a fuel tank having an exteriorlycrowned I end wall, a filling duct having a discharge portion extending substantially horizontally within pansion space and which is of sufficient size to permit -free flow of air to and from the safety compartment. This opening is also` of such size that the compartment 21 isI readily ventilated of explosive gases when repairs are made necessary.

the tank and having a lateral filling portion ex`- tending through a wall of the tank to a point above the top thereof, the outlet end of the discharge portion of said duct being located a suf-V ficient distance below the top of the tank to form a non-flllable void4 Within the tank when the `tank is filled, a displacement member having a concavo-convex portion, anda peripheralflange secured to the crowned end of said tank and so positioned thereon as to have'the upper end of saidmember'extended into the non-liable void, said displacementmember being provided withV arestricte liquid inlet below the liquid level in the tank and avent opening connected Idirectly with said non-fillable void, said displacement member being located with a sufficient portion thereof below the level of said normr fillablev void ,to contain the volume of liquid required to break the liquid seal which may occur .between the non-fllable void and the lling duct.

.f c. COLEMAN. 

